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Jake and Isi in Middle-Earth
  • Isi Schwingen
  • Jake Searle
  • Isi Schwingen
  • Jake Searle

Jake and Isi in Middle-Earth

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  • Jake and Isi in Middle-Earth

    Wwoofing Wanaka

    February 8, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Here are some pictures from our 2 weeks of wwoofing at Wanaka Willows with Marty. This place is an organic vegetable farm with about 20 vegetable beds and a greenhouse. Loads of fresh veggies for lunch and dinner. Working with Marty was nice and easy as we started at 8 and were done by 12. We mostly planted vegetables, helped with the harvest and did some weeding. The pictures are of Isi planting snow peas and of the leaks we've planted. Living with us on Marty's property were his girlfriend Katie, Andy (Katie's brother) and his girlfriend Daisy, Joe and Mikey, Emily and Jess who also worked with us. Our neighbour was Billy Horseman, (real name Jug) a very friendly horse. We've had a good time here and some great evenings with beer and pizza.Read more

  • Jake and Isi in Middle-Earth

    Bailey and James

    February 13, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Our friends Bailey and James arrived in Wanaka around the same time as us. Bailey was working with Isi at the Cross and James was working with Jake in Wellington. We met up with them quite a few times. These pictures are from one especially good day. We started the day with a Parkrun together and took a picture afterwards in front of the famous #thatwanakatree. Afterwards we went for a coffee and then climbing at the Hospital Flats. Bailey and James had never climbed outside before. Jake quite enjoyed teaching them all about climbing. As it got rather hot during the day we went for a swimming break before going climbing again. After a long and active day Bailey and James came over to our place in the evening for games and drinks. Daisy and Andy also joined us for a game or two (Andy looks a bit unhappy because he always lost 😂).
    It was a great day with our friends!    Read more

  • Jake and Isi in Middle-Earth

    Mount Iron

    February 14, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    A few pictures from our hike up Mount Iron just outside of Wanaka with Bailey and James. We've had some good views over Wanaka and the lake from the top.

  • Jake and Isi in Middle-Earth

    The Tombstone

    February 16, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    The hospital flat and diamond lake area in Wanaka is a climbing mecca of NZ. As you drive into the area you are met with a wide open plane with endless possibilities for rock climbing. One particular feature here is the Tombstone, it immediately captures the eye and governs all attention. Well that's at least what Jake thought and other climbers alike. The Tombstone was the first climb in the Hospital Flat area climbed in the 1970's by Owen Cambridge & Grant Gillespie. Since the start of the 80's the area has been developed by many different people to bring well over a 1000 different routes of varying technical skill and and hardness.
    The crags here are all made up of schist, a rock created from metamorphosed sediments, characteristically black or green it has seams of quartz and beautiful cracks making for some absolutely amazing climbing.    Read more

  • Jake and Isi in Middle-Earth

    Wanaka Climbing Jake

    February 18, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Some of my favourite climbing pictures from the weeks in Wanaka.
    First 2 pics: Aretenaphobia, Roadside Attraction, grade 21 (VII+), onsight.
    Pic 3: The Cutting Edge, The Icehouse, grade 20 (VII), onsight.
    Pic 4: The Prick, The Icehouse, grade 19 (VI+/ VII-), onsight.
    Pics 5 & 6: Shortcut To Exposure, Roadside Attraction, grade 17 (VI), onsight.    Read more

  • Jake and Isi in Middle-Earth

    Wanaka Climbing Isi

    February 18, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    And some of my favourite climbing pictures from the weeks in Wanaka.
    1: Fingers Columbia, Tombstone, 17 (VI)
    2: Get Off That Cow, The Bakehouse 16 (VI-)
    3: Occupational Therapy, Riverside 14 (V+)
    4&5: Shut Up And Climb It!, Hero Wall 16 (VI-), on our weekend trip to Queenstown, belayed by our friend Johann
    6: Abseiling off Briefcase Wanker, Brummy Crag 17 (VI) - This was a two pitch climb (50m).    Read more

  • Jake and Isi in Middle-Earth

    Wanaka Snaps

    February 21, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    A few pictures from in and around Wanaka.
    1: Swimming at Glendhu Bay.
    2: Awesome Burrito from the Burrito Craft eaten next to Lake Wanaka.
    3: Enjoying a coffee from the Coffee Shack while being seated on a dinosaur.
    4: Jake skipping rocks on the Clutha River.
    5: Taco Tuesday at Amigos.
    6: Stand Up Paddle boarding on Lake Wanaka with Kayleigh who we met in Wellington.    Read more

  • Jake and Isi in Middle-Earth

    Hunter Valley

    February 23, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    We visited Bailey and James at their Wwoofing Farm on Lake Hawea. Jake and James did some fishing before we headed inside for drinks and games. In the morning we helped feeding the pigs and got to cuddle with the pet deer Heidi.Read more

  • Jake and Isi in Middle-Earth

    Blue Pools II

    February 24, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌧 16 °C

    The Blue Pools are located in Mount Aspiring National Park and on the Haast Pass that connects Wanaka to the West Coast. On our last trip through the South Island we already visited the Blue Pools. As it was the end of May it was sunny but unfortunately too cold to go for a swim. Jake always wanted to go swimming in the really blue water of the pools. So we stopped there again this time round and he went in the water even though it was raining.Read more

  • Jake and Isi in Middle-Earth

    Lake Kaniere

    February 25, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    After our visit to the Blue Pools we drove all the way along the West Coast to Hokitika. After spending the night there we went to Lake Kaniere for the day. We saw the Dorothy Falls, had lunch right next to the lake and walked to Canoe Cove.Read more

  • Jake and Isi in Middle-Earth

    Otira Viaduct

    February 26, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    We drove along Arthur's Pass that connects the West Coast at Kumara to Christchurch on the East Coast. Arthur's Pass National Park was the first National Park on NZ's South Island and lies in the Southern Alps.
    Our first stop along this route was the Otira Viaduct where we met about 15 Kea. Kea are very cheeky alpine parrots who love to pose for a picture but also like to chew rubber off cars.    Read more

  • Jake and Isi in Middle-Earth

    Cave Stream

    February 26, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Cave Stream, also known as Broken River Cave, is a 594m long limestone cave. Equipped with headlamps, a torch and stable shoes we decided to go caving. We walked upstream from one end of the cave to the other through the river. The deepest part was right at the start of the cave where we got waist-deep in the water. During the passage through the cave we saw some really interesting rockformations and waterfalls.Read more

  • Jake and Isi in Middle-Earth

    Castle Hill

    February 26, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    The Kura Tāwhiti Conservation Area is also known as Castle Hill because of the grand limestone rock formations that are found here. The rocks are really popular for bouldering, unfortunately there isn't much sport climbing. We tried to boulder a little and then moved on to just enjoy the magnificent landscape.Read more

  • Jake and Isi in Middle-Earth
    1

    Springfield

    February 26, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    After the Arthur's Pass we had to stop in Springfield because of its possibly most famous landmark: a big donut.
    The donut was first placed there to promote the Simpsons Movie and ended up staying as a permanent feature.Read more

  • Jake and Isi in Middle-Earth

    Christchurch II

    February 27, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    After Springfield and sleeping in a freedom camp near Darfield we drove on towards Christchurch where we went to the botanic gardens and walked around the city.

  • Jake and Isi in Middle-Earth

    Giants House

    February 28, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    The Giants House is a historic Akaroa house with original contemporary artworks and terraced gardens with sculptures, mosaics and ceramics by artist Josie Martin.
    After exploring the gardens and exhibition we treated ourselves to a cream tea.Read more

  • Jake and Isi in Middle-Earth

    Banks Peninsula

    February 28, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    On our second day in Christchurch we explored Banks Peninsula. We first went to Akaroa where we had a look around town and visited the Giants House (see next post). Afterwards we drove along the scenic summit road. We stopped at Le Bons Bay where we had lunch and Jake went for a swim.Read more

  • Jake and Isi in Middle-Earth

    Wwoofing Lyttelton

    March 5, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    We were wwoofing in Lyttelton, a port town close to Christchurch, for one week with Gabby and her dog Zeb. We helped Gabby lots in the garden and Jake did some plumbing work. Nearly every day after finishing work we went out climbing in the Port Hills.
    We had some good chats with Gabby and she made us some lovely dinners, like the roast on the fourth picture.    Read more

  • Jake and Isi in Middle-Earth

    Wwoofing Allandale

    March 9, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    For the last week we were wwoofing in Allandale, near Christchurch, with Denise and Reg. They've got a lovely house with an awesome garden as well as 10 chooks, 5 ducks, 5 sheep, a cat named Jona and a super cute dog named Blue. Our first task every morning was to feed the chickens and sheep which we really enjoyed. After that we helped around the garden or took Blue for walks before heading out to climb some more in the Port Hills area around Christchurch. On Friday evening Denise and Reg took us to their favourite burger place in the city and on Saturday we had a barbecue together with their friend Jan.
    We've had a lovely time with Denise and Reg!    Read more

  • Jake and Isi in Middle-Earth

    Christchurch Climbing

    March 12, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    During the 2.5 weeks we spent in Christchurch we managed to do quite a lot of climbing in the Port Hills area. Our favourite crags were the Britten Crags and the Cattlestop Crag.

    Here are some of our favourite climbing pictures from around Christchurch:
    1: Chocoholic, Angel Face, Britten Crags, grade 18 (VI+).
    2&3: Let Me Sleep On It, Bivvy Rock, grade 20 (VII).
    4: Nettle, Wunderbar, grade 18 (VI+).
    5: Thor's Hammer, The Altar, grade 21 (VII+).
    6: View from the Angel Face at the Britten Crags over a misty Christchurch.    Read more

  • Jake and Isi in Middle-Earth

    Whale Watch Kaikoura I

    March 15, 2021, South Pacific Ocean ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    We finally managed to do a whale watch tour in Kaikoura. We spent roughly two hours on the boat cruising around in trying to locate whales. The first animals we saw were albatross. They're pretty impressive to see flying around as they're rather large birds with a wingspan of up to 3.5 m. After a while we were told by the crew that they spotted a whale nearby. 🐋
    We were lucky enough to see a sperm whale. Sperm whales dive quite deep (up to 2.25km) and long for feeding. They can hold their breath for up to 2 hours. After that they come back to the surface for 10-15 minutes to refill their oxygen stores. That's when we saw the whale. The most impressive part was when he was diving back down and we saw his flukes (we've got it on video). This whale was a male named Aoraki, the crew can distinguish the different whales by patterns on their skin or by their flukes. Sperm whales average 16 m in length but some may reach 20 m, with the head representing up to one-third of the animal's length. They weigh up to 80 tonnes.    Read more

  • Jake and Isi in Middle-Earth

    Mount Fyffe

    March 15, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    After our whale watch tour we hiked up to a lookout point on Mount Fyffe. We got some good views over the Kaikoura Peninsula and the Kaikoura Ranges.
    The last picture was from sunrise at our camping spot in Waipara.Read more

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